Gang Gang Cockatoo
Characteristics
Length: 34 cm (about 13 1/2 inches). Gray with whitish feather edges. Scarlet head and crest. Female gray with a gray head and smaller gray crest. Underparts with brick, white, and gray bars. Eyes brown, beak horn-colored, legs gray. After 1 year the males come into their adult plumage. Requires a large aviary with lots of chewing materials, otherwise they start feather picking. They will take food with their left foot, while standing on their right.
Social Behavior
Prefers to be kept in pairs or colonies. Can learn to talk.
Diet
All parakeets and parrots, including cockatoos, need a large variety of fresh, healthy foods, whether on a pellet or a seed diet. Beneficial foods include dark green, leafy vegetables like kale, broccoli, dandelions, and chard, as well as carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash. Healthy table foods like cooked eggs, corn, beans, pasta, and rice can also be offered. Remove perishable foods after a few hours and at bedtime. Grit, gravel, and oyster shells should never be given. A seed-only diet will result in malnutrition. Eventually, a cockatoo should become acclimated to a diet containing specially formulated pellets. An AVIAN vet can help with more information.
Cleaning
Tray liners should be replaced every day and the cage bottom, fittings and dishes regularly washed with hot water and soap. Once a month, disinfect the cage with diluted bleach and rinse thoroughly. Line the tray with black and white newspaper or paper towels. It is unsafe to use pine/cedar shavings, corn cob or walnut bedding.
Fertility
Breeding successes are still extremely rare, but they may come to breed in a large aviary (which should be built from very sturdy materials, as their beaks are extremely strong). Both sexes incubate the 2-3 eggs for about 26 days. The young leave the nest after about 2 months. Nest boxes should be about 30 x 30 cm and 50 cm high.
Health
All parakeets and parrots, including cockatoos, should be examined by a qualified AVIAN vet at least once a year or ASAP if any bleeding, injuries, or other signs are noted. It can be hard to tell when a bird is ill, and by the time you notice a problem, the sickness is usually well-advanced. Delaying a visit with an AVIAN vet or using over-the-counter or human medicines may be fatal.
Warnings
All parrakeets and parrots, including cockatoos, have very sensitive respiratory systems and should not be exposed to cigarette smoke, aerosols, harsh cleaning products, or other toxic fumes.
